The Republic of Ireland soared three points clear at the top of the Carling Nations Cup table with a resounding 5-0 win over a young Northern Ireland side on Tuesday evening.
Captain Robbie Keane scored twice, one a penalty, while there were debut goals from Stephen Ward and Simon Cox and an own goal from Craig Cathcart at the Aviva Stadium, in what was by some way the home side’s biggest win under Giovanni Trapattoni. Northern Ireland had defender Adam Thompson sent off to compound a miserable night for them.
With many Northern Ireland fans staying away because of unhappiness at ticket prices, and plenty of Republic supporters also giving the game a miss, just a paltry 12,083 turned out for the first meeting of the sides in Dublin in 12 years. Those who did travel from the north will not have been happy to see their side gift their hosts a number of their goals.
Trapattoni handed first Republic of Ireland caps to versatile Wolves man Ward and West Brom striker Cox from the off, while Josh Carson – impressive for Ipswich in the dying stages of the Championship season – made his bow for Nigel Worthington’s visitors.
Northern Ireland were initially the brighter, winning a first minute free-kick, which was only cleared to the edge of the area from where Jonny Gorman shot just over. Shay Given, who it was great to see back in action after a shoulder problem, then raced from his goal to ensure a through-ball to Warren Feeney caused no danger, while some hard-tackling from both sides left the men in green struggling to find early openings.
They soon began to take command though and Seamus Coleman created their first opening, crossing from the left with his right foot for Paul McShane to head off target. Keith Treacy then held off his man on the left before shooting from range, but Alan Blayney was well behind it.
Cox soon held the ball up well before knocking it back to Keith Andrews who, from 20 yards, went the closest to date with a lovely curling effort that beat the Northern Ireland goalkeeper, but not his left-hand post. Then Keane failed to take advantage when given a chance to run at Blayney as his second touch was awful, before a cross-cum-shot from the Republic captain was held on the line by the goalkeeper.
The pressure would pay off, however, in the 24th minute after Ward won a corner on the left. From it, Treacy played a one-two with Cox before sending in a cross that Blayney spilled under pressure from McShane, leaving Ward to take full advantage as he hammered the loose ball high to the net.
Buoyed by that, the Republic bossed the rest of the half, with Coleman just overplaying one pass that might have opened up Northern Ireland and Kevin Foley then shooting wide.
With eight minutes left before the break the lead was doubled as Keane notched up international goal number 47 in style. Lee Hodson played a backpass to Blayney woefully short and, however disappointing his club season has been, you cannot do that when Keane is in green. The Tottenham forward pounced to curl the ball delightfully home and the game already looked up for Worthington’s young charges.
Gorman got in the way of a Coleman shot as the hosts sought another, while Given easily cut out a Thompson cross in a rare foray up the other end from Northern Ireland, whose Blackpool defender Cathcart – relegated from the Premier League on Sunday – suffered more pain just before half-time. After a string of fine Irish one-touch passing, Coleman caused more embarrassment for Blayney, who could not hold the Everton man’s cross. This time the loose ball rebounded back off Cathcart and over the line to give Trapattoni’s men an unassailable 3-0 half-time lead.
It got worse for the northerners eight minutes into the second half, a half they started by replacing striker Josh McQuoid with young Manchester United midfielder Ollie Norwood.
Whatever about damage limitation though, their limitations were evident once more when Keane found himself clean through again and onside after more sloppy play from his opponents. Thompson pushed him over in the area and Scottish referee Craig Thomson showed no mercy with a straight red card dished out to the teenager. Seconds later Keane, after a jostling run-up, slotted the ball to Blayney’s left corner for 4-0.
The Linfield goalkeeper had been having a miserable evening, but he did produce one magnificent moment when he denied Keane a hat-trick minutes after his second with a flying save from a 12-yard half volley.
There would be no hat-trick for the skipper though as he soon joined Coleman, Foley and Given in making way as Liam Lawrence, Andy Keogh, Stephen Hunt and David Forde all joined the fray, Northern Ireland opting concurrently to bring on Colin Coates, Liam Boyce, Niall McGinn and Robert Garrett.
However, smiles were few and far between for the men in white and even when new arrival McGinn slipped the ball beyond Forde and into the Republic net, the offside flag was rightly up to deny the Celtic attacker.
That brief Northern Ireland attack came as a result of a lull in the home side’s efforts, but they would finish strongly with Ward breezing to the left by-line before sending in a cross that the offside Keogh could not net from two yards out. Then, with ten minutes left, it was 5-0 and Cox had his debut goal.
The Baggies front man capped an industrious first cap by receiving Treacy’s pass, then cutting across the edge of the area to find the space to send a left-footed shot back beyond Blayney and in at the fat post.
Still the Republic showed no mercy as Hunt – a Wolves hero at the weekend – thundered a free-kick from 20 yards against Blayney’s post with the goalkeeper again beaten.
However, Cox’s goal proved to be the last as Trapattoni’s side move to six points, having scored eight and conceded none in the competition. How they would love such a perfect record in their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. Northern Ireland, with no Nations Cup points, have exactly the opposite record.